A rounded back, drooping shoulders and a forward tilt are some of the hallmarks of attending university. Take one quick glance around you while studying and you will see spine after spine being slowly conquered by gravity and neglect. Tell these students this habit will soon lead to them being unable to carry out everyday tasks.
Poor posture is one of the most neglected aspects of a student’s lifestyle because it is perceived to be a minor inconvenience until old age sets in. While we may not feel the effects of our bad posture now, you best be sure you will notice them when you are older. Bad posture as a child or young adult can lead to a multitude of aches and pains spreading from your head all the way down to your lower back due to the stresses we put on our joints when we slouch.
This is because our spines are naturally shaped in the form of an S, but when we allow bad posture to take over, we can actually change the curvature of our spine into the form of a C. The constant stresses of developing this C curvature can wreak havoc on your balance and muscles while also compromising your bending and lifting ability.
Other issues that may arise down the road due to poor posture are blood vessel constriction -which could lead to blood clots in the spinal area, extensive nerve damage to not only your back but all areas of your body, while bad posture can also be linked to low self esteem or confi dence issues.
Noah Wayne, health coach and certified exercise physiologist says, “Everything about being in school facilitates poor posture. Students sit in uncomfortable chairs during class, move to more chairs in the library where they sometimes sit for hours. Students get tired and bored, and they slouch as a result.”
All you need is a resistance band and the desire to break a habit. Here is the awesome thing about improving your posture: it translates into many other aspects of your life.
The benefits include improved lifting form, increased core strength, increased confidence, and far less trips to your local chiropractor, among others.
One thing to note is that there are no sit-ups or crunches included in either routines. Sit-ups and/or crunches aggravate your lower back even further, especially when you sit with a rounded back all day in class and when you are studying.
The plank can generate the same amount of tension in the ab muscles without a compromise to low back position.
The routine above will improve body, while letting you stay seated. Fixing the curve of your lower back, in combination with the inward drooping of the shoulders and upper back, will improve not only your sitting and standing posture; it will also give you the form to you need to properly challenge the tasks of the day.
Always remember that your lower back is like a credit card; it has a certain limit and when you exceed that limit, you will be collecting interest in the form of physical therapy appointments. So pay attention to the way your back is resting on the chair.
Come finals season, you will be ready to take on the exam with posture that will put you in the good books of a drill sergeant.
Phil Antonian
Contributor
